Crisscross
by asakura89
Summary: ShixNat. [Full summary inside] Events occur, truth revealed...getting closer and closer to the burning night that Shizuru thought she would never have to remember again. Chapter Three Complete.
1. Prologue: Burning Night

Summary: ShixNat. Natsuki becomes an assassin in order to one-day hunt down the one who murdered everyone that burning night. Both Natsuki and Shizuru work for different organizations. They unexpectedly meet at a corporation meet. Shizuru being, the bold one, tries to get to know Natsuki better. In normal life, Natsuki is a motorcycle racer and Shizuru is a famed tea master. Neither of them knew their role they played in each other's past, nor each others hidden identity as assassins. Events occur, truth is revealed...getting closer and closer to the burning night that Shizuru thought she would never have to remember again.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Mai-Hime or any of its characters, especially Natsuki and Shizuru (go cries in the corner). Ahem, so… on to the story, or rather the intro.

**Prologue**

**Burning Night, Star-crossed Path**

Flames soared up into the air, burned ever so brightly, the ruins of the research lab. Smoke covered the clear, night sky. The surrounding sakura trees wavered in the glow of the fire, turning their pink blossoms the colour of blood. The blood-red petals drifted about in the spring air, like spatters of blood, adding more to the gruesome sight of the burning ruin. Alarmed shouts could be heard in the distance, even further away, a wailing siren.

Out of the flame, a young girl, no older than 10 years of age, emerged. Walking slowly out from the blazing ruin, a shadow cast over her young face, making her crimson eyes stand out even more, fitting perfectly with the surrounding flame. She was covered in blood, splattered imprints on her clothes, face, and hands. Blood was dripping down the blade of the oversized _guan dao_ that she was carrying. A flicker of the flame revealed her face to be expressionless, even with the raging fire behind her, and the blood scented air engulfing the night. She seemed to be immune to the terror and the gloom of death still left in the aftermath. But, without knowing why, a teardrop fell from her cold eyes, followed by another and another.

She was glad, glad that this night was finally over—she had completed what she had set out to do tonight and she no longer had anything to do with it anymore. But unknown to her, by committing the crimes she had tonight, she had predestined her path.

This night would come back to hunt her in the years to come. It is an unforgettable event that would not be forgotten by her and another certain person—the beginning of a crisscrossed fate.


	2. 1:Motorcycle vs Tea

In general: Thanks for all the reviews up until now. The intro was indeed very short, this chapter is much longer, so enjoy

**Chapter 1 – Motorcycle vs. Tea**

Vroom….Vroom…

The humming sound of motorcycles filled the racetrack. It grew louder as they approached the finish line. Crowds in the stands cheered loudly; some even leaned forward impatiently in their seats, anticipating the final outcome. The announcers' voice boomed amidst the crowd.

"Number 5, Tashigi is in the lead! Followed by Number 8, Watsuto!"

"Oh! Number 11, Kuga is closing in on them!"

"She has passed them…and…she has done it once again! Number 11, Natsuki Kuga has once again placed first!"

The crowd went wild with cheers and shouts. Most rose from their seats while applauding whole-heartedly, and some were even whistling to show their support and content for the result of the race. They were all quite happy themselves for their favourite's finishing score. While some, a small portion of the crowd, with gloomy faces, remained silently in their seats. These people most likely lost their bet on the race. Shame and regret for not placing trust on another racer were written all over their faces. There were also some that were disheartened with the result. Disappointment was on their faces, but they are moving on, looking forward to the race next time.

The announcers' voices still boomed in the background of the noisy crowd.

"She has once again closed in on the leads at the final kilometer, just how does she do it? It's like she's desperately trying to chase something."

"Yeah, she always seems to have this ability to pull-off the most difficult possibility. That's probably why the crowd admires her so much..."

Taking off her helmet, Natsuki let her long, dark-blue hair fall out from the helmet. A gentle autumn breeze sends her hair dancing in the air, cooling the sweat on her fore head. The heat of the speed-race always makes Natsuki feel a bit suffocated in the end. Especially in that last kilometer where she is forced to break away from the pressure that seem to hold her back. Flashes and pieces of her past resurface at those moments. To overcome that, she would ride desperately and overcome the feeling. Riding the bike at such speed gives her power and courage for what she has to achieve. The flashbacks would always serve as a reminder to her, pushing her on—that burning night with smoke-filled sky.

Natsuki shook her head to clear the last pieces of the images away. Lifting up her chin, she walked to the resting area and sat down.

An assistant handed her a towel and a bottle of water. "Good job, Natsuki-san."

Natsuki gave the young man a small nod and look in return, but he interpreted the look as a warning glare and retreated away. Natsuki inwardly scorned herself.

"You shouldn't be so cold to your fans, Natsuki-san," said a light, male voice, coming from the shadows behind Natsuki.

"Why are you here, Taka?" said Natsuki, without looking towards the source of the voice. "Shouldn't you be protecting the boss?"

"You mean the president?" The said person emerged out from the shadows and into the light, revealing a man slightly older than Natsuki, with unruly, jet-black hair. "The president is quite happy with you. You just won him a couple million dollars." Ignoring Natsuki's glare, Taka casually took a seat beside Natsuki. "I expect he'll be here any second now to congratulate you."

"You are not a reliable bodyguard"

Taka laughed at Natsuki's comment, and answered lightly. "I'm not a real bodyguard in the first place, you should know better than that. Besides, there are lots of real guards around to take care of him. If— "

The approaching of the president cut Taka's speech short. Taka replaced his playful facial expression with a serious, calm smile. He stood up and took a respectable bow at the president, in greeting.

"Ah… I see you're also here, Taka. I was just wondering were you went." The president greeted him with a smile that left no room for another to interpret what he was really suggesting.

The man was old. Wrinkles from years of hardship could be seen on his forehead, but with his grayish hair and clear gray-green eyes, he looked more like a man in his fifties, than seventies.

"I just wanted to give Natsuki-san a heads-up. You know how she hates surprises."

"Well, of course. Our Natsuki," said the president, remembering the purpose of the visit. He turned his attention to her and beamed. "Congratulations Natsuki! Well done!" He patted her on the shoulder, heartedly. "I did not expect anything less of you. Well done, well done…"

Natsuki had long gotten used to these men of the underworld and their way of talking indirectly, their undertones, suspicions, precautions, friendliness and flattery. She had toned out their pointless talk. Either way, she could care less. She only noted that she was once again the scapegoat for Taka's excuse. The president always seems to back down whenever anything related to her was concerned.

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Since the race already ended, the crowd was disintegrating. Most were standing up to leave. Some were in their seats waiting for the people to thin out. Amidst the people, a single person caught the bored Natsuki's eyes—a woman wearing a violet kimono.

It was the unique air surrounding her that made Natsuki distinguish her from the rest. Besides from the fact that she's dressed differently than the people around her, what she was doing at the moment was also peculiar. While most people were bustling about or chatting excitedly in their seats, she was calmly drinking a cup of tea with such graciousness that made her seem out of place in comparison with the lively air around her.

_Why would such a traditional, tea-drinking, ojou-sama be here, at a place where modern technology and motorcycles are concerned? _

A frown appeared on Natuski's face, annoyed that an outsider should be here when she showed no interest but still sat there calmly, as if it's the most natural thing to be there.

As if sensing the menacing stare, the said "ojou-sama" raised her head and opened her eyes to meet the source of unfriendliness. A polite smile appeared on her lips and she lightly nodded in greeting toward Natsuki.

Natsuki scowled even more at the woman's impeccable manners. She broke eye contact with the woman and turned her head elsewhere, thinking to herself that such a woman with such faultless etiquette must be really hard to handle.

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After spending literally the whole day at the race track surrounded by crazed fans and enduring the long achievement speech (flattery) from her boss, Natsuki was finally able to have some quality time by herself. Happily having a drink at her favourite bar, she was enjoying herself until an unwise man decided to ruin her peace; offering himself as the saviour of her boredom.

Natsuki had clearly indicated that she was not interested by ignoring him, but the man took no hint. He kept on talking and talking, endlessly, of his adventurous tales and achievements. Her patience was wearing thinner and thinner with each passing second. Her fingers started tapping on the table, and the grip on her glass tightened. Then a vein popped on her forehead. She was just about to stand up to give the man a beating when out of the blue, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind and turned her a full 180 degrees around.

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The perfect word to describe Natsuki's feeling at the moment was shock. No, she was not stunned by the fact that someone dared to touch her, let alone forcibly turned her around, but by the warm, soft feeling on her lips.

The moment came to pass and the person leaned back. There standing in front of her, out of the 12 million people in Tokyo, just had to be the person she least wanted to see again…

The flawless ojou-sama…her crimson eyes with a hint of mischievous…the joyous smile on her face… "Ah, I was wondering where you went, Natsuki."

The voice of the unidentified woman finally snapped the dumbfounded Natsuki back. She managed to mutter a "what…" before the woman once again spoke up. "Oh, whom do we have here?"

Pretending to notice the man next to Natsuki for the first time, the woman turned her attention to the man, while still carrying a perfect smile.

"I was just…W-What…Who are…" said the man, clearly bewildered by the turn of events.

"You must be one of Natsuki's fans."

Natsuki would have liked to counter that statement, but at the moment, blood was rushing to her face at 100 kilometer per hour. The full impact of what had happened earlier had finally registered in her head. What the woman was going to say next, was definitely something Natsuki would love to interrupt, but was unable to do, due to the after affects she was having.

Seeing the puzzlement in the man's eyes, the woman questioned sweetly, "You are wondering what my relation with her is?" Smiling, the woman embraced the blushing Natsuki. "We are lovers."

"You two are…You are…" the man said with disbelief, trying to confirm that his ears had not betrayed him.

"Yes, I'm her lover. We are lesbians," confirmed the woman, the smile on her lips not faltering one bit. "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to use the washroom."

_Lovers…Lesbians…We are? I am?_

"W-Whatever…you people are nuts…" The man quickly turned to leave, embarrassed and red with anger for his humiliation. By now everyone in the bar had his or her attention on the conversation.

Everything happened, all within intervals of seconds, Natsuki was flustered and speechless to clear up what the woman had claimed.

Recovering a bit, Natsuki dragged the still smiling woman to the first private space she could find to have a _serious_ "chit-chat".

Closing the door behind her, Natsuki right away cut to the chase. Mastering the best glare she could while her face was still several shades of red, she started. "Who are you! What the hell was that!"

Natsuki tried to be as calm as possible, but she was totally boiling with angry and embarrassment. She would have taken care of the man perfectly fine on her own, without the interference of that woman. She would have beaten the man into a pulp and left the place with style…but she had to appear! And that kiss…

"I'm whom you think I am. You are really cute when you blush, you know," said the woman in her thick Kyoto accent. Which, Natsuki just noticed and found at the moment to be especially irritating.

"Do not change the topic!" said Natsuki, another wave of red shades appearing on her cheek. "I'm asking about what THAT was for."

"What do you mean? You mean by my saying that we are lesbians?" said the woman genuinely.

Sighing desperately, taking a deep breath to calm herself, Natsuki rephrased the question, this time including the specific word that she tried to avoid, "I…I mean what…what was that kiss for!"

"Ah, that…to save you from the situation of course."

"I mean, was that really necessary?" said Natsuki, the side of her lips twitching.

"Well, yes. I feel there was the need… It may not be totally necessary, but that man seemed to be irritating you quite a bit, so I thought I'd give him a lesson. I guarantee he won't be randomly chasing after women anymore. Besides, I always wanted to…"

Natsuki had once again shut off the volume and muted what the person in front of her was saying. Having learned from her profession to listen only to important information and shutout the rest of the rubbish, Natsuki picked out a few explanations from the woman's answer to be satisfactory. She had to agree that the man was irritating and that it's true that the man would not be after another woman for a while, which made her a bit satisfied. Although, the kiss could have been left out…

Figuring that was all she could get from this conversation, Natsuki signed deeply, any further argument would be pointless. She was tired from the day's event and the past half an hour had just drained out all of her energy. Who would have thought that embarrassment and anger could have drained more of her energy than riding her bike?

Natsuki made a mental note to add another two types of people to her list of people to avoid; irritating, dense men, and faultless "ojou-samas" who drink tea.

She had thought that it was bad enough to have met a dense man, but she ended up meeting not one, but two dense persons in one day. Talk about luck!

Glancing at the woman one last time, Natsuki exited the room without a word.

Natsuki's face was still a bit pink when she walked back into the bar, as if she just had a workout. Natsuki noticed that the whole bar's attention was back on her. Realization hit her. Without a thought, she had dragged the woman to the only quiet, private place she could find, the washroom. Saying they were lesbians and then going to the washroom together…noises coming from the washroom…she coming out with a flushed face and disheveled hair…

Natsuki briskly walked out of the bar, avoiding any direct eye contact with anyone. Even though she did not see their faces, she could feel that every one of them had a poker smile on their face. Anger once again boiled up inside of her, this time more violent.

_If I ever see that woman again, I'm going to murder her!_

But another voice in her head also thought…

_I hope I never see that woman again. Meeting her again would just be bad luck…._

**End of Chapter 1**

**TBC in Chapter 2—Bad Luck, Fujino Shizuru.**

Comments; grammar, plot and glitches, are very welcome.


	3. 2:Bad Luck, Fujino Shizuru

**Note: Just to clear up the confusion with chapter 1, there were actually two parts and I posted them under the same chapter at different times. Sorry.**

Side Note: Prologue and Chapter 1 is revised, nothing major, just some grammar and a missed line in chapter 1. Also, I decided to change the title of chapter 2 from Bad Luck, Misunderstandings to Bad Luck, Fujino Shizuru.

Thanks for the reviews and those who continue along with this story Enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Mai-Hime characters. --..

**Chapter 2—Bad Luck, Fujino Shizuru**

A tea ceremony was going on, hosted by the Searrs Research Co., on the twelfth and upmost floor of its double complex building.

In contrast with rest of the modern office building, the floor was furnished with traditional Japanese styled interior. It was fitted with matted floors and sliding wooden doors embroidered with patterns of flowers and leaves.

This floor was the Guest Floor of Searrs. Consisting of a ceremony room that took up most of the floor and a dinning room.

The ceremony room was simple in feeling. The walls were the colour of beige with tints of green. Four wall scrolls were hung along the walls, containing the characters: Love, Hate, Justice, and Evil. Bonsai were placed at the corners of the room. Small, polished wooden tables with olive green, clay teacups on them, aligned the room in a rectangular fashion. Guests sitting behind them conversed politely with each other, laughing and joking.

The atmosphere in the room was very refreshing and positive.

But, a negative energy could be felt, coming from a long, dark-blue haired lady.

Natsuki angrily stared at the faultless ojou-sama across the room. The woman was going around the spacious room serving the members tea.

"Quit the glaring, Natsuki. It's rude." Taka gave Natsuki a quick sideways glance. "What's wrong with you today? You've been in a foul mood ever since you got here."

"You would be too if you were almost killed."

"Oh? What kind of mission did the president gave you?"

"Not a mission. Just a fatal accident caused by THAT person."

"Well, you better contain yourself then," said Taka lightly, not really taking the seriousness of Natsuki's reasoning. "We are guests, not troublemakers. Have a smile on your face. You are going to get wrinkles before you are thirty."

Natsuki ignored Taka's advice and kept on glaring.

Seeing no change in Natsuki's actions, Taka added a comment as an after thought. "I'm sure you were the one who caused this small misunderstanding. Better apologize, or give up on it."

"Apologize! Small! —" Natsuki stopped her retort at he look on Taka's face. "Fine! You won't understand anyways." Resigning, she switched her attention to elsewhere in the room. But she was still pissed. Recalling the event of the morning…

Every since the incident at the bar, she no longer sees flashbacks. Instead, it's the face of that faultless woman that kept on appearing in her mind, that irritating polite smile.

Riding through the busy morning streets at her normal speed, she was recalling the incident at the bar for the 1000th time (mostly of that woman's smile). When, she noticed that the woman on her thought, was there walking on the sidewalk. To most people, at the speed Natsuki was riding, they would only see a red-black blurb with a tint of blue zooming by. That was why, when Natsuki saw the woman, she was so dumbstruck that she lost control of the bike. A slow motion of what occurred…

Even though Natsuki has a helmet on, it seemed the woman recognized who she was. Their eyes connected. The woman tilted her head a bit to the side and smiled. Natsuki looked, stared and looked. Passing her, passed her…then, HONK!

The sudden sound brought Natsuki's attention back on to the road. She had driven off course on to the opposite lane. She was about to collide with a truck! She turned hard to the right.

SCREECH…CLACK…SHATTER…HONK…

Silence…the sound of heart beating…

Pieces of the bike and taillights scattered across the road. The stench of burnt rubber filled the air. A dark line of tire marks could be seen.

Heavy breathing…

Sweat rolled down her neck. Natsuki took off her helmet to take a deep breath to calm herself. She had barely avoided a head-on collision.

She had collided the tail of her bike in order to break away from the pull force of the truck and cut across in a horizontal curve of an incoming car, barely avoiding another collision. Which would have been as deadly as the truck.

To the naked eye, what she did was unbelievable; to avoid a truck that was a meter away. But what happened was, in those decisive seconds, Natsuki had used her left leg as support and kicked the truck, using the impact to change her direction.

"Watch where you are going!" The driver of the truck had shouted and drove away.

"Are you trying to commit suicide!" Honk!

"Are you crazy!"

The traffic had moved on, with drivers who saw the incident giving her weird looks and insults.

Natsuki, of course, took no notice. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. The back of the bike was totally smashed, leaving only a twisted metal frame. And that was troublesome…

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Why should I be here? Maybe I should have faked an injury and gone to the hospital. Then, I won't have to endure this tea party. Only old gramps and grandmas drink tea. Who in their right mind would drink it…so…bitter. 

Still focusing her attention on a blank spot and still grumpy, Natsuki unconsciously said to herself. "Just who is she? It's all her fault."

"I'm Fujino Shizuru. And whose fault on what?"

Natsuki was sure she heard a snap in her neck as she turned in a hurry. The woman, Shizuru was pouring tea into Natsuki's cup. Her head bowed and eyes half-closed, pouring the tea in perfect graciousness.

Natsuki just gaped and glared. She was totally speechless. _When did she get there?_ Either her footwork was really light or she was just spaced out.

"She really is something"thought Taka "To get Natsuki so worked up…and that footwork…um, interesting." He took a closer inspection at her as she moved on to pour his tea. _Does a tea master really have such graciousness…_

A conversation was going on between the host, Dr. J and the president.

"Shizuru-san's skills are quite amazing," said the president in his ever so hearty voice. "This tea is the best I've ever tasted. Every time I try her tea, I'm always awed by the refreshing taste. You are very fortunate to have her."

"Um, yes. But, you're also very lucky to have Natsuki-san. I heard she did an outstanding performance. Coagulations. Perhaps next time, I'll try betting on her instead."

"Ah, you're being too modest, J."

The two men would seem to be on very familiar terms with each other. Anyone who's not in the circle would have thought they were good friends. But they were really rivals. Dr. J is the head of First District, one of Japan's most high-tech corporations, specializing in humanoids and human cloning. On the other hand, the president, is the head of the Searrs corporation, which consists of many research labs and facilities scattered throughout Japan, focusing mainly on human alchemy, object and human interchangeable capacity.

It was Natsuki's first time seeing the famous Dr. J. She had heard many great things about him. How he had already achieved in building a fully functional humanoid that is 90 like a real human being. The other 10 that differentiate it from a real life being was its lack of normal human emotions. But then, why would anyone want a humanoid to have wills to fight back against his beliefs?

Natsuki was told to take careful precautions against him. But Dr. J, with a median built body, light blond hair, baby-blue eyes and needs an arm cane to support himself when he walks, seemed like no threat at all. He looked more like a sickly person who needed constant care.

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Being the tea master, Shizuru was sitting next to Dr. J, easily making polite conversation here and there with the two men. Their conversation had moved on to the best pastime hobby.

"Ah. I have to agree that biking is still the most exciting and the best pastime sport. If my leg wasn't injured in an experiment years ago, I would have loved to ride one myself."

"Yes, yes, of course. If I'm 10 years younger, I would have roamed the country on a bike myself. But I'm too old for that now. What a shame, we've spent our best years on work."

Although she was bored out of her mind, Natsuki was listening to the conversation. She had to hide a snicker at the men's comments. Even though Dr. J needed a cane to walk, if he really wanted to bike, he's still very capable to. As for her boss, he doesn't seemed as old as he claimed, still very healthy and energetic, more energetic than Dr J who's 20 years his junior.

"What do you think Shizuru-san?"

The brunette took a glance in the direction of Natsuki.

Natsuki took up her cup of tea and took a sip of it, pretending that she was not listening on their conversation.

"I think the excitement is too much for me to handle. I'm afraid I would pass out from such sights. It is way too violent for me."

"Really, how so?"

Shizuru putted a finger on her chin in thoughtfulness and smiled. "Well, this morning I saw someone riding a bike and almost got run over by a truck."

Natsuki took an extra large gulp of tea when she heard Shizuru's reply and choked badly on it.

"So that's what happened," said Taka, looking amusingly at Natsuki who's coughing hard because of the large gulp of tea. Patting her on the back to calm her fit, he said, "Now you have more reason to apologize. You just gave the young lady such a terrible sight, she'll be scared forever."

Natsuki just shot a deadly glare at the brunette. Which, she managed to avoid beautifully by turning the other way.

"Argg. She should be the one apologizing, I almost died this morning because of her, and now, I almost died choking on her tea!" _Just why did I have to come to this tea party? And my leg, it's going numb from all this kneeling…_

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In front of the entrance, Natsuki stretched her arms. She breathed in a deep breath. The air smelled so much fresher after she was inside the building for the whole afternoon.

The president looked at Natsuki's reaction and smiled. "Natsuki really is still a more outdoor type of person. I'm sorry to have you confide in there the whole afternoon. I noticed that you didn't quite enjoy yourself in there."

"No, I…"

"But I'm afraid you'll have to endure another confinement next week. You are invited to the Prestigious Public Figure banquet sponsored by Dr. J this year. You remember, the one I sponsored last year that you just happened to forget. I know you don't want to see Takeda-kun and Nagi-kun…"

_And Shizuru. _Natsuki mentally added.

"But Dr. J seems to be very fond of you. He said you looked a lot like your mother, especially your emerald green eyes."

The mention of her mother startled her. _He knew my mother?_ However, the mentioning of the name Shizuru, dragged her attention back to the president. "What?"

"I was saying…that Shizuru-san was also very interested in you. It was she who specifically asked me to bring you along today."

That woman…! 

"I guess you'll have to thank her and apologize to her the next time you see her," said Taka.

"Of course I will," said Natsuki between gritted teeth, trying to smile in the presence of the boss. "Of course I will…"

_Not!_

**TBC…**


	4. 3:Annoyance and Headaches

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Mai-Hime.**

Chapter three took longer than I expected. Too much schoolwork, and I had a bit of trouble thinking up how poor Natsuki would meet Negi, Takeda and Shizuru. Hopefully I pulled it off all right. Enjoy reading :)

Thank you for all those that reviewed!

**Chapter Three - Annoyance and Headaches**

Natsuki scorned as she entered the large banquet room. The room was literally filled with people. The smell of perfume and smoke filled the room. She had to force herself into the room.

People were staring at her as she made her way through the crowd.

"Who' she? She's so cool."

"Yeah. she's so beautiful."

"Don't you know? She's Kuga Natsuki, the new ace racer for the Searrs Corp."

"Oh"

"Aw"

"Ooh"

Natsuki signed. Woman and their idols. Don't rich people have better things to do than drooling over a person? This is why she never liked parties, and all these social chats and gossips. Everywhere she goes there are people commenting on this and that, men and women alike.

The only thing that she looked forward to at these events was the food; the best western food she could ever eat.

Reaching the long food table, she was about to bite into a sausage when a firm hand gripped her arm.

Her first instinct is DANGER. She would knee the person in the gut then knock the person to the ground with her elbow. Then a second instinct told her that this is a formal banquet; meaning no fistfights and definitely no knocking down of other guests.

She turned with a death glare on her face. "What do you-"

Seeing the dark-haired, older, young man in front of her, Natsuki stopped her voice in mid-sentence and started sweat dropping. Maybe her first instinct was right.

Taka simply smiled and said, "I thought I would find you here. Always so predictable." Taking the plate in Natsuki's hand and putting it on the table, he dragged her back into the crowd. A smiling Taka is way scarier than an angry Taka.

"Um…where are we going?" said Natsuki weakly, while taking one last look at her sausage which she knew she'll never get to taste.

"To meet people of course."

"But Taka..."

"Since you missed the opening speech, it's better if you showed your face around. So people won't think you are dead (skipping again)."

" I was stuck in traffic."

"Then leave earlier next time."

"What! There's a next time?"

Taka turned and flashed he's infamous dry smile again. "Watch where your manners are going Natsuki. Using the word 'what!' is impolite."

The tone of this voice made Natsuki feel even more insignificant. "Yes, Taka," she obediently replied.

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"Hello, Dr. J, this is Kuga Natsuki."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor." Natsuki bowed. "Hello President." She nodded to her Boss, who was standing next to the Doctor.

"Ah! Thank you for coming Kuga-san. The president has said many wonderful things about you. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"The pleasure is mine, as well," Natsuki replied with a smile.

"Natsuki, you're here. I mean, you finally arrived, Natsuki," the president said, patting her on the back. "It's good to have you here."

Taka gave Natsuki a look as if saying, "see what I mean?", before smiling politely and excused himself and Natsuki. "I'll take Natsuki and greet more people."

"Yes, of course. Go right ahead," said Dr. J, smiling. _I'm sure we'll meet again Natsuki._

"Congratulations on winning the race, by the way."

"Thank you." Natsuki politely bowed again before she was tugged away by Taka.

Natsuki thought she heard Dr. J calling her by her first name, but no further thought were put into it as she was dragged from one place to another to "meet people".

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After what felt like hours of greeting (torture) and years of her life shortened, Taka had finally dismissed her. By this time, she had practically greeted everyone in the room. Taka's definition of greeting is scarier than she could have ever imagined.

Aching from all the bowing and handshakes, Natsuki made her way towards the food table. _Finally, food…Now what do I want..um…the potato salad, the hamburgers, the BBQ chicken, gravy…_Her mood lifted at the thoughts. She was meters away from the table when her alarm bell went off again.

Looking around her surround, she almost gave-up right at the spot. Coming from 1 o'clock is Nagi, the brat that always gets on her nerve. From 11 o'clock is Shizuru, with her perfect graciousness and annoy smile. Coming from 4 o'clock is a group of crazy fan girls that some how she made during all the greetings. And then, from behind her, 7 o'clock, is Takada, the kendo champion who's nice but bores the day light out of her.

Nagi and Shizuru were definitely out of the option. The fan girls…

"Look! There's Kuga-san! Eee…ahh…ooh…!"

Definitely no, her poor ears, let alone her head, were not well enough to bear through the blasting waves of shrilling. _I thought this is a formal banquet. Were did all these wild people came from?_

Natsuki rubbed her tantrum and placed a regretful look at the food, which was diminishing with each passing minute. She made her choice.

She almost yanked the young man's arm off to get herself out of the "Firing Range".

"Good to see you Takeda. Let's go for a walk."

Before Takeda could reply, he was pulled 180 degrees around and going in the opposite direction, arm aching.

"Um…Natsuki-san, where are we going? It's really nice you asked me for a walk. But, could we slow down a bit…I think my shoulder is dislocating."

"Oh, sorry." Natsuki slowed a bit and glanced back to see if she had lost the crowd. "It's really stuffy here, so I thought we could go outside."

When they finally made it outside, she let out a sigh. She was safe, or at least for the moment. The night air was cool and refreshing, she had totally forgotten that she wasn't the only one here.

"Um…so…are we going to go for a walk?"

Breaking herself away from the split enchantment of freedom, she replied, "Ah, yeah."

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They walked along the garden pathway in silence. Outside feels so great. Natsuki felt like ditching the guy and go riding on her bike. But, she also felt obliged to stay for awhile, since he did help her escape.

On the other hand, Takeda was thinking quite the opposite. He was thinking ways of spending more time with her.

Both stayed silent, each in their own thoughts. Before any conversation was made, they had already walked around the garden once.

Approaching the entrance to the garden. Natsuki was about to speak her mind, but Takeda got ahead of her.

"Natsuki…um-chan. Do you…I…you…"

Natsuki's patience instantly wore off. She hated people adding the suffix "chan" on to her name, especially by a guy she barely know, let alone see around that often; maybe once or twice a year. Then, the stuttering, the uncertainty, and the embarrassment in his tone of voice just made the matters worse. She could handle tough guys, but unmanly, unconfident ones; she could only scratch the back of her head and hope to get it over as soon as possible.

"Takeda, could you get to your point?" said Natsuki. Then seeing that she just made the matter worse by making the guy even more nervous, she spoke in a softer tone. "Okay, take your time. Just collect yourself first. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. So just calm yourself."

"Okay, I think I'm ready now." Takeda took a deep breath. With a serious face, he practically shouted, "Natsuki-chan…I like-"

Natsuki's thoughts at that moment were: My ears hurt; does parties have to be so loud? Why is he blushing? Did he drink too much? And…

Her third and final reaction, which she instantly acted upon, was "Please lose the 'chan' part."

The poor guy was definitely not ready to be interpreted like that. Takeda tried again, "Natsuki, I like yo-"

"Natsuki-CHAN!" A young, arrogant, male voice sounded from the entrance.

Natsuki turned around to face the person, and slapped her forehead when she saw a white-haired boy. "What do you want, Nagi!"

"Is that how you greet a friend? Such an impolite temper." The boy shook his head in mock disbelief. "I thought you disappeared again; played the _disappearing act_.

_How I wish. _"As far as I know, you are not my friend, so lose the 'chan' part before I make you."

"Don't be so cold, cruel. But it's true Natsuki-chan was a great hit at the party.

"Nagi…" Natsuki muttered warningly under her breath. "Don't make me kill you."

Nagi pretended he never heard and went on, "All the girls are talking about you. You've even got yourself a great crowd of fans. I think you almost have as many fans as…what's her name? Um…Ah! Right! You could almost beat Shizuru-san."

The name sent a way of cold shivers down her spine. "Nagi…" Natsuki growled.

"Natsuki-chan! ♥"

_Speak of the devil_, Natsuki dreaded inwardly.

A part of her was whinning: _Why! Why! What did I do to deserve this? And being called "chan" by three different people? Just my luck!_

Another part of her was in denial: _Please let it not be her, not her, just not her._

But wishes never come true, at least not in Natsuki's case.

"How's Natsuki-chan enjoying herself?" said Shizuru as she descended the stairs leading to the garden.

"Do I look good to you!" Natsuki glared at the descending figure.

"You couldn't look any cuter than today."

"Don't…!" Too embarrassed to retort back, her face only got pinker and cheeks puffier. Switching gears, she changed to her second issue. "You know what I mean, don't change topic! And, don't call me 'Natsuki-chan'. We are not on familiar terms. Understand, Shizuru!"

Natsuki regretted her last word as soon as it left her lips. It's going to cost her the battle, she know Shizuru would no let it slip.

"I guess we are one first name bases now." Shizuru smiled with a wink.

Another wave of blush appeared on Natsuki's features. "Fine! But lose the 'chan'!"

With the matter settled, Shizuru turned her attention to the two gentlemen beside Natsuki for the first time. "So, what did I interrupt?"

"We were just talking about you, Shizuru-san," said Nagi almost too anxiously. Takeda stood silently at the side, a light blush still evident on his face.

"Really? What about me?" said Shizuru, with her famous, polite smile.

"How you have so many fans. Um…I wonder…"

Natsuki looked on upon the duo and a realization suddenly hit her, their personality are totally parallel! If Negi is shrewd and Shizuru is troublesome, then the two of them together would be double the horror. Natsuki slowly retreated towards the exit.

"Ah! Yes, I bet I know why." Nagi smiled evilly. "Or rather, how Natsuki-chan could even be more popular."

"Please explain."

"You see, your kimono is what gives you the charm, so the same method would work for Natsuki-chan as well." Nagi glanced in the direction of Natsuki.

Natsuki froze in her tracks and laughed (smiled) awkwardly.

Nagi smiled back and continued, "And the perfect charm for Natsuki-chan is…"

"A dress," Shizuru and Nagi said together, both looking at Natsuki with smiles on their face.

Her head hurts and her heart thumps hard. Natsuki had just heard the other word she dreaded more than anything in existence (beside the name "Shizuru"), DRESS. She turned on her heels and ran for her life towards the exit…

…to escape…

….to freedom…to…

….right into the pack of fan girls…

"Nooooo!"

**End of Part 1.**

**What'll happen next? There's a little bit more of torture in store for Natsuki. Sadly, Part 2 won't be as long, just a small, extra scene for Natsuki. **


	5. 3:Part B

Note 1: Finally, the long waited second segment of "Annoyance and Headaches"! Sorry. I was vacationing in China. July 7-August 29. I swear I had planned on finishing this and chapter 4 during the summer break. Now I'm behind again. Don't know when this'll finish. My estimation for the story is at least 10 chapters, excluding multiple alternate endings.

Don't flame me, but I'm not even sure when I'll finish chapter 4 (let alone start it). But, don't rush to kill me yet, here's a rough outline/sneak peek to what to expect.

ca. geocities. com/ moanimallover/ Plan.html Hope this'll keep you occupied for a while. On to the chapter…

**Chapter 3—Annoyance and Headaches PART B**

Where they got the dress or how they ever managed, Natsuki would never know. But in less than half and hour, she was dressed in a light blue sash dress and forced back into the banquet, to the jaws of the waiting wolves (fan girls).

Of course Natsuki did her part of resisting, but it was a lost battle from the very start.

She had ran, or tried to ran away. She had ran into the banquet room, right into the fan girls at the entrance. A 'certain' someone had tipped them off to wait there. She was surrounded on all sides by the girls before she knew how to react. Moments later, she was dragged away by Shizuru and Negi, and locked into a changing room (which Natsuki swear there never was one before).

Then Shizuru entered the room with the dress.

"No way! No way I'm going to wear that!"

"Now, Natsuki. It's only a dress. Let's see if it fits on you."

"No! Let me out!

Nagi, who was waiting (guarding) at the door, smirked as he heard banging on the door, followed by running footsteps.

"Natsuki, don't make things hard. I took a lot of trouble to get this, you know ♥."

"I didn't ask for it!"

More running steps, followed by crashes and falling objects (or rather more like objects being thrown across the room).

Finally, Natsuki had to submit after literally trashing the whole place. She was out of breath, dead tired, and covered in little scratches. Shizuru, on the other hand, was totally unharmed and still…smiling (another wonder to Natsuki).

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The fan girls were on all sides of Natsuki, wooing and adoring over her new looks.

"There's no reason for me to wear this, you know," said Natsuki in an irritated tone to Shizuru, who, amidst the crowd was practically gleaming (glowing) with her "perfect smile". Natsuki was sure the room went brighter a notch.

"Ah, but the dance is going to start."

"What! There's a dance?"

"Dr. J thought it was a wonderful idea."

"I see, so it's you again." Natsuki said dryly.

The music started in the background, classical waltz.

Shizuru only smiled at Natsuki's 'terror' reaction and pulled her into the center of the floor.

"Oi, wait…wait a second. I don't know how to dance."

"I'll teach you."

"But, I don't want to learn. I hate dancing…almost as much as I hate dresses, fan girls, and YoU."

"Yes, I know."

"And, you are wearing a kimono."

"You know Natsuki, you cannot worm your way out of this. Just think this as entertaining the other guests. Besides, how many times in a lifetime do you see someone dancing in a kimono?

"Almost never, you as an exception."

"Exactly."

Before Natsuki could come up with more excuses, Shizuru leaded her into the dance.

Natsuki was awkward at first. More than once, she tripped over her dress. Her concentration was mostly spent on keeping her foot from stepping on Shizuru's. Gradually, she got the hang of the rhythm and thought that Shizuru is quite a good lead (though she would never openly admit it).

"See, you're doing a great job." Shizuru gave her a smile.

"This is not my idea of fun.' Natsuki turned her head sideways and puffed her cheeks in frustration.

Shizuru laughed lightly and paid her attention on their feet.

From the corner of her eye, Natsuki stared at Shizuru; her gracefulness and the gentle smile at the corner of her lips.

Natsuki couldn't help feeling there was a nice side to Shizuru. Her careful and warm hand around her waist, guiding her with care.

A warm feeling bubbled and grew in her chest. Somehow, her heart skipped a beat. A blush appeared on her cheek.

Noticing the blush on Natsuki's cheek, Shizuru smiled to herself. She took the chance to make Natsuki redder. She leaned her head on Natsuki's shoulder.

Natsuki tensed up, and to Shizuru's joy, she blushed even harder.

"Relax, just feel the rhythm," Shizuru gently smoothed.

To this display of affection, Natsuki didn't know how to feel. No one dared to approach her. She has only been hugged by Mikoto, but she's more like a cat (pet) than a human. Mai's her friend, but more of a business type of friendship.

This mixed feeling was new to her, but she enjoyed it. Natsuki did what she was told and relaxed. They swayed along with the music.

Just as Natsuki thought Shizuru might be a nice person. Shizuru said into Natsuki's ear, "Looks like Natsuki has gotten the basics down. I'll leave the rest of the ladies to you then."

Again, Shizuru left Natsuki to a pack of wolves. In her concentration on dancing, Natsuki had forgotten about the surrounding fan girls. Shizuru bowed and stepped back. The fan girls rushed to Natsuki for a dance, pushing and pulling to get to Natsuki first. From behind the pack of girls, she caught a glimpse of Shizuru standing there in the background. Their eyes connected for a flit second. Shizuru tilted her head a bit and smiled. Before Natsuki knew how to interpret the smile, she was grabbed by a girl and forced into dancing.

_Maybe Shizuru's not so humane after all…_

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To say the dance horrible was an understatement. Natsuki had to dance through the infernal of fan girls. There were some that were acceptable, but most of the dance was unimaginable hell.

Sitting at the bar, Natsuki reflected upon her horrible experience.

The first girl that had danced with Natsuki was so anxious to dance with her that she nearly dragged Natsuki across half the floor. Before Natsuki could recover from the swirling, another girl had taken over.

Natsuki downed a glass.

The next girl was better, but still… The girl was so nervous that she practically stepped on Natsuki's foot every other step. Even now, Her foot is still painfully sore. She finally acknowledged why high heels hurt so much; a very powerful weapon indeed when needed.

Natsuki shook her head and downed another glass.

There were ones that were good dancers. Natsuki actually learned from them. There were also ones that were good dancers but took the advantage to cuddle and lean on her shoulder. Since she had let Shizuru rest her head on her shoulder, others also want to try it. Natsuki's reaction was total annoyance. She should only wish the dance would end soon. No one, had given her the feeling Shizuru had given her, that warm, burning-mixed feeling.

Natsuki sighed. "Yeah right, like I actually enjoyed the dance with her. No way." She muttered to herself and downed another glass. "Waiter, more wine."

She was just thankful that the night was finally over. Five hours of straight dancing, a night she'll remember for a long time; another thing to add to her unwanted list; fan girls.

She looked at the dark-red liquid in the glass. Just how did she manage to get herself into this? She hadn't grabbed a single bite. All those food, those golden-brown drumsticks, those juicy hamburgers, those salads loaded with mayonnaise dressing… all gone. All thanks to 'Her'.

Even after the dance was over, the girls still surrounded around her and followed her around like puppies. Only now, hungry and exhausted, could Natsuki vent her misery at the bar.

Natsuki downed the glass in her hand.

"All her fault!" She had seen Shizuru during the dance, but she was no where insight after the dance. "That stealthy woman…"

"More wine." In her drowsiness, Natsuki wondered, "Where is she now?"

As if knowing what she just thought, a familiar voice said next to her.

"I'm right here."

Natsuki turned her head to the side and glanced at the smiling Shizuru sitting there next to her. "Right…of course. Leave it to you to make my life… miserable…"

A glint of hurt passed Shizuru's eyes. She lightly shrugged and said in an unusual tone (almost a bit strained) "If that's how you feel, then sure."

The drunken state Natsuki didn't notice.

Silence followed. Natsuki slowly downed another glass and another. Images of her past resurfaced; that night, the flame, those blood. Her solution, more wine.

Shizuru could only watch Natsuki with a concerned face. Had she really overdone her teasing? No, there's something else. In Natsuki's eyes, she could see a deep sadness and…anger.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru reached out a hand toward Natsuki but hesitated. Should she stop her? But it's better to escape, isn't it? She, herself, had locked away a painful memory. Then again, Natsuki's had too much to drink. The amount of alcohol is reaching life concerning level…

"That's enough Natsuki." A firm hand rested on Natsuki's arm, stopping her from consuming another glass of liquid toxic.

"Do you want to DIE!" was Natsuki's immediate reaction. By instinct, she reached for her weapon, only to grab empty air—she forgot she had left it behind.

"Taka-san," greeted Shizuru. The abnormal reflex of Natsuki overlooked. She was just relieved at the moment that someone had stopped Natsuki.

Taka nodded in acknowledge.

"Ta..ka…" Natsuki repeated the name. When the name finally registered, a frown appeared on her face. "Mind…your own…business."

"I believe, you're the one who wants to die," said Taka coldly. "Drinking this much. You know your own limit, or should I wipe your butt every time for you? You know the rules for alcohol consumption. If president knew you drank this much…he…I…"

Had he just snapped? It was the first time Shizuru saw the cool headed Taka worry so much. There's something in their past and Shizuru had a feeling that she needs to know.

Natsuki shook off Taka's hand and shakily tried to stand up. She staggered forward, then back. In her unbalanced state, she fell into a pair of arms. The arms studied her. The warm and safe feeling… The toxic had finally worked its magic. Before she drifted off, she murmured. "Take me home" and gave a pair of keys into the hand.

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Taka frowned at Natsuki's response. At a lost of words, Taka coughed and said, "I think she meant ME." He looked at the dozing Natsuki in Shizuru's arms. _Did Natsuki do this on purpose?_ I'm terribly sorry about this, Shizuru-san." Taka bowed.

"It's fine. I'll take care of her."

Taken aback by the answer, Taka stared hard into her eyes. Dark brown met burgundy rouge, silent messages transferred, neither blinking nor backing down.

Millions of thoughts flashed in Taka's mind. He had never seen Natsuki so happy and relaxed as when she danced with the fan girls and…'her'. And now…the content look on Natsuki's face as she snuggled closer to the source of warmth. Again…'HER'.

Shizuru gave Taka her perfect smile. "Look's like Natsuki is getting comfortable here." She looked at the sleeping Natsuki and smiled.

Judging by the way Shizuru looks and holds Natsuki, Taka knew there's no harm in letting her take care of Natsuki. _Maybe a change of environment would be good._

"I'll leave Natsuki in your care then," said Taka, giving Shizuru a cool smile.

Taka bowed and turned to leave, but then turned back. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Natsuki has something to say to you."

"Ara…? What would that be?"

The light-surprised tone and blank look Taka received was not unexpected. He inwardly chuckled to himself. Even great people have weaknesses. Who would have thought the usually collected first-class tea master, Fujino Shizuru, would blank out over something this trivial? Especially over someone like Natsuki?

Taka smiled. "Something along the lines of an apology and gratitude."

At first, Shizuru still had a blank look, but then, it gradually turned into a mixture of stealthy and mysterious look. "Thank you for telling me. I'll keep it in mind."

As Taka walked away, a big grin appeared on his face. _Looks like I made the right choice. It's gotten be a fine day tomorrow..._

"Too bad I'm not there to see it."

**TBC…**

**End of Chapter 3 PART B**

Next in Chapter 4 Morning Distress, Afternoon Trouble…

Natsuki waking up at Shizuru's house! Blackmailing and Shopping trouble!

Well, I guess the second part wasn't as short as I thought it would be. Waltz, um…I don't really know how it works but I used it anyways (any thoughts on it?) and Shizuru's clothing is really weird, isn't it (could she even dance in a kimono?). Now I think it's a bit of a ridicule plot

Note 2: Sorry for spelling Nagi's name wrong. I keep on messing up his name with Negi from Negima Sensei. Any other glitches? I'll gladly change them. I'm still asking my English tutor to edit my earlier chapters for grammatical errors.

I'm currently writing a one shot story and I would like an editor. Of course, it's Natsuki times Shizuru. It would be great if someone with a good grasp on grammar and sentence structure could help. But, a few pointers would also be welcome. If anyone's interested, please email me or leave a comment in the review. Thanks.


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